Tekken 8 Season 2 Update Making Controversial Change

Summary

The March 31 Tekken 8 Season 2 update adds chip damage to throw breaks, stirring controversy among players in the community.
Many players are frustrated and confused about the change to throws, with some believing it contradicts promises of more defensive options in Season 2.
Some players are losing confidence in director Katsuhiro Harada after the March 23 edition of Tekken Talk Live.

An upcoming Tekken 8 update is making a controversial change to throws, which will deal chip damage in Season 2. The change to throws has frustrated and confused the Tekken 8 community, with many players questioning director Katsuhiro Harada's decisions during the game's latest season.

The March 23 edition of "Tekken Talk Live" highlighted upcoming Tekken 8 DLC fighter Anna Williams, a returning fan-favorite character from previous Tekken installments. Anna will join the Tekken 8 roster on April 3, but players who own the Character Year 2 Pass gain early access to her four days earlier on March 31, which is the start date for Season 2. Bandai Namco also revealed an updated Tekken 8 Season 2 roadmap during the Tekken Talk live stream, which now includes a new Pac-Man 45th anniversary stage, free Atelier Yumia collaboration DLC, and multiple paid returning DLC characters. It was not all good news for Tekken 8 fans due to the divisive change to throws, however. With a new update in Tekken 8 Season 2, throws will now deal chip damage if they're broken, so players skillful enough to stop their opponent's throw will still be punished for not avoiding the throw altogether.

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By Matthew Schomer

After the throw change was announced on Tekken Talk Live, Tekken 8 players like Xanek took to Reddit to share their frustration and concerns about the impending update. Although breaking throws results in little chip damage, there's still damage incurred by the player negating the incoming throw, and many players do not agree with the change. Harada previously stated that Tekken 8 Season 2 would generally bring more defensive options, but many players in the community believe chip damage to throws doesn't reward them for taking the defensive approach and utilizing the timing and skill required to break throws.

The Tekken 8 Community Isn't Happy About the Controversial Throw Breaks Change in Season 2

There's a sense of confusion in the Tekken 8 community following Tekken Talk Live, with some players losing confidence in Harada and his pledge to bolster defensive options in the game. Others believe Tekken 8's aggressive gameplay flow is now harming the community and may negatively impact the competitive scene during the course of Season 2. It's worth noting that there are still many gameplay changes that weren't explained in detail or revealed yet, so it's possible that the Season 2 update could bring positive and requested changes that offset the effects of the throw change.

Tekken 8 Season 2 is expected to last through the entirety of 2025, with the season's final DLC character and stage releasing sometime during the winter. During the course of the season, Tekken 8 is one of the main titles for EVO 2025, alongside Street Fighter 6, Guilty Gear Strive, and many other fighting games still being supported by publishers and developers. The game's meta will likely change in the coming months as character balance updates are introduced and more Tekken 8 DLC characters are revealed.

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